Champions Chelsea thrash Juventus as they book last-16 spot

Chelsea sealed a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League with an impressive 4-0 win over Juventus at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

Action: In his first European start for the Blues, Trevoh Chalobah opened the score, smacking the ball into the net past Wojciech Szczesny in the 25th minute after centre back Toni Rudiger set him up from a Hakim Ziyech corner.

The Blues remained the better side in the second-half, and it was no surprise when they doubled their lead shortly after break when Reece James controlled a clearance and volleyed into the far corner for his fifth goal of the season.

Another academy product, Callum Hudson-Odoi, scored the third of the night after a nice exchange of passes.

Substitute Timo Werner put the icing on the cake for the Blues, Hakim Ziyech capitalising on a mistake from Weston McKennie to cross for the German striker, who converted in stoppage time.

Big Picture: The reigning champions imposed Juventus' heaviest defeat in the competition and booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

Chelsea will now turn their attentions to their Premier League campaign and a home clash against Manchester United on Sunday. They then travel to Watford the following Wednesday.

Man of the Match: Overall, Chelsea were outstanding, but let's highlight Reece James. Without a doubt, the young England international has been one of Chelsea's best players so far this season. Defensively strong and reliable, and dynamic in attack, James is turning out to be one of the best wing-backs in Europe. 

Just to put this perspective, in numbers: Reece James (5 goals, 5 assists) is one of only two players to both score 5+ goals and assist 5+ goals in all competitions for Premier League clubs this season, along with...Mohamed Salah (16 goals, 7 assists).

xG: Chelsea (3.11) 4-0 (0.68) Juventus

Stat of the Day: This is only the third occasion a team has had three different English goalscorers in a Champions League match (Chalobah, James, Hudson-Odoi), after Man Utd v Brøndby in 1998 (Beckham, Cole, Neville, Scholes) and Man Utd v Roma in 2007 (Carrick, Smith, Rooney).

⏰ RESULTS ⏰

🔴 Manchester United book last-16 spot
🔵 Chelsea through to next round
🔴 Bayern secure top spot
🔥 Six-goal thriller in Berne

Best performance? 🤔#UCL

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 23, 2021